


The Desire of Erised

by Seal_Potter



Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: Ambiguous/Open Ending, M/M, One Shot, Sad, Sweet, hauntingly beautiful, heart wrenching
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-01-09
Updated: 2020-01-09
Packaged: 2021-02-27 14:41:51
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,743
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22188811
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Seal_Potter/pseuds/Seal_Potter
Summary: Harry loses everyone he cared about during the war.  A surprise gift delivers his greatest wish. not DH compliant
Relationships: Harry Potter/Draco Malfoy
Comments: 4
Kudos: 48





	The Desire of Erised

**Author's Note:**

> Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter or any of the characters associated with the books/movies and I never have and never will make any money from the writing of this story. J.K. Rowling owns all copyright to characters from the books and movies.

It had been many years since the world knew peace. The adjustment for all would be hard, but welcome. For one Harry Potter thought it would be the hardest of all. He looked around his portrait room in number twelve Grimmauld Place. This was a room he created to remind him of what was lost and to give him some comfort in this lonely existence he now called life.

Each portrait represented a fallen comrade or dearest friends. The wall to his right consisted mainly of his closest friends. Ginny Weasley, Bill Weasley, Fred Weasley, Hermione Granger, Neville Longbottom, Luna Lovegood, Sirius Black, Albus Dumbledore, Severus Snape, and Draco Malfoy. Each stood dressed in their finest with bright smiles on their faces looking lovingly at Harry each time he entered the room. The back wall consisted of school mates, teachers, and acquaintances that Harry had known during his time at Hogwarts School of witchcraft and wizardry. There were too many to list. The left wall held small square portraits of those Harry never knew, but still, they hung as a testament to the martyrs from The Last war. They were not all Wizards, but muggles included, innocents that were caught up in Lord Voldemort’s genocide.

The only picture in the entire room that wasn’t a wizarding photo was the one that hung over the doorway as you entered the room, only to be seen as you left. It was a muggle photo of a dead wizard, the enemy of all who was represented here. Lord Voldemort’s photo stood as a stark reminder that not all evil will stand forever, but good must make considerable sacrifices for the lives of many.

Harry felt deeply troubled today of all days, it was the second anniversary of the death of a most beloved man. He walked over to the right wall and knelt below the portrait of the beautiful golden boy that had once been so much a part of the light that gave Harry hope: The hope of a beautiful future.

After Dumbledore’s funeral, Harry and his friends Ron and Hermione went in search of the Horcruxes that held pieces of Voldemort’s soul. During their search, they found and destroyed two, the cup of Helga Hufflepuff, and the diadem of Rowena Ravenclaw. Their journeys brought them back to Hogwarts during the term. It had been secluded, and few students had remained. Headmaster McGonagall was in charge at that time and had taken to doubling the DADA load for the students and teaching other useful aspects. Harry and his friends conferred with the Order at his home for other sources of information on the possible other Horcruxes that may remain. They had destroyed five out of six so far. The locket was destroyed by Mad-Eye Moody after it was discovered in the possession of Kreacher so the only remaining was an artifact of Gryffindor.

They had conferred with the sorting hat to discover that Godrick Gryffindor had left behind not only his sword but also a family heirloom that he passed on to Salazar as a token of friendship before the split. This was a silver cufflink with a lion engraved upon it. The Order sent out requests to all dealers for information regarding this cufflink, only to be surprised to find that it had been purchased from Borgin & Burkes by James Potter for his wedding. Harry had gone through emotional turmoil in the thought of having to exhume his father's body in order to find and destroy the last Horcrux. After all, had been said and done, Harry had managed to destroy the cufflink with the sword of Gryffindor. All that then remained was to finish the Dark Lord himself. 

The order had then received news on the whereabouts of Professor Snape and Draco Malfoy from an unknown source. They were found in the company of an old man with whom all were familiar with and would never have suspected. Alberforth Dumbledore had been hiding them since his brother’s death. They found out that the death had been planned out of necessity and Dumbledore had left instructions for both to be kept safe. Most found it hard to even look at the two but eventually found that their combined potions talents were of great use and began to work with them on a potion to combine with a spell for the defeat of all the Dark Lord’s followers. Harry had begun to work with Draco on his dueling abilities and soon they became more than friends. They were inseparable and in love by the end.

They stood together in that last fight. Back to back, blocking and casting in unison. Until Draco froze when his father had pulled his mask off and smirked before letting the killing curse slip from his lips. Harry had only felt Draco stiffen for a second before he knew what had happened. He had used the potion and spell that obliterated all evil in the area too quickly for the rest of the death eaters. Harry proceeded to duel the Dark Lord until the death of the dark wizard came from Harry’s own lips. He had been too anguished to actually think about how he was accomplishing this task.

The whole world rejoiced around him, celebrated in parties and ceremonies. He had been zombie-like through it all. Empty inside from grieving bitterly at the loss of the light of his life and the close companions. No one seemed to understand the depth of loss he had felt in those days.

Now he was just a ghost to society, a figment of imagination to the world. He never left his home; his remaining friends visited him now and again to make sure he was still alive. He never felt alive again since that day.

When the loud doorbell began to boom and shake the house, Harry got up off his knees and slowly cast a lingering look at the portrait above him and whispered: “I’ll be right back love”. The Portrait beamed a brilliant smile at him as he left the room.

When he got to the front door, He prepared himself for the inevitable rush of tokens, flowers, and gifts from all over for his involvement in the war. But he wasn’t prepared for the strangest gift of all. There at his door was a small box with a note dangling from a string. He picked up the note to find out who sent him this small token.

To whoever may receive this box,

A few years ago, I had to remove this item from a lonely room in a castle. I spelled this object to be delivered to the one person who could benefit from the secret this gift holds. This gift has the ability to captivate an audience, but if the secret is not found, that audience can wither away. I urge you to explore all options to reveal the secret and learn to live again.

Yours truly,

Albus Dumbledore

Upon reading the signature, Harry dropped the note and quickly brought the small box to his portrait room. He opened it and suddenly the item inside grew to normal size, and Harry recognized the Mirror of Erised.

He didn’t need to look in it to know what he would see. This time it would be a very different picture than that long-ago day he spent in front of the mirror. He just couldn’t bring himself to look just yet. He knew he would get lost in the image that awaited him.

He turned to the portrait of his love and was shocked to see the frame hung empty on the wall. Dismayed he searched the entire room for his beloved, only to turn up empty. He went from room to room searching the portraits with tears falling from his eyes, his heart aching even more. After hours searching and calling out Draco’s name, a deflated Harry returned to the portrait room.

Harry had forgotten about the mirror in his desperate search and came face to face with it upon entering the room. The scene that greeted him was unexpected from what he assumed would be reflected in the mirror.

A beautiful ballroom was spread out into the mirror. Black and white checkered floor and a band playing on the stage. In the middle of the floor was a grinning Draco with a hand outstretched towards Harry. Harry was looking for where he was in the image but saw himself nowhere. He knew his desire was to be with his beloved but to not see himself next the lovely blonde was heart-wrenching.

Yet as he looked on, it seemed Draco was not just a part of the image, but actually beckoning him in. Without thinking anymore, Harry reached for the hand offered him. There was a tingling sensation throughout his body as he found himself caught up into the ballroom scene. 

He was now dressed in a slim tuxedo with gold accented cummerbund and tie. Draco was dressed similar, but with green as an accent color. Trembling he reached out and touched the elegant hand of his love. The touch was so welcome, so beautiful and yet seemed so real, that Harry could not keep his emotions from crashing over him.

Harry fell to his knees grasping the legs of his love, sobbing out an apology that had been eating him alive since Draco’s death. He had felt responsible for not saving him when they were back to back fighting in the war. He spent the years following reliving that moment over and over in his nightmares. A warm tender hand reached down and pulled him up.

“Dance with me?” Draco asked.

The music started a slow waltz and hand in hand they began to sway with the music. Draco led the dance and they started to encompass the dance floor. Their bodies drew closer, and Harry could only drink in the scent that was completely Draco Malfoy. When finally soft lips met, tender, touching, loving, in wet caresses, Harry was lost to the world he had once known. He now had forever with his dragon.

100 years later, twelve Grimmauld place still stood as a monument to the Boy who lived to kill the Dark Lord. However, the mystery of his disappearance was now a fading legend. The portrait room was left untouched, though no one ever saw the mirror that was draped with an old cloak.

~Fin~

**Author's Note:**

> I love Kudos and Comments.


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